The present application relates to an indicator device with a pointer such as those used in particular on board motor vehicles for displaying vehicle speed or engine revolutions per minute (rpm).
Such an indicator device generally includes a plate supporting a dial in front of which a pointer is mounted to pivot, the pointer having one end secured to a drive shaft and another end that is free (or distal).
Some conventional indicators associate the pointer with a lighting member making it easier to see the position of the pointer relative to the dial, thus improving the legibility of the indicator device.
In certain indicator devices, the lighting member comprises a light-emitting diode (LED) secured to the free end of the pointer. It is difficult to power the LED because the pointer is movable.
To mitigate that drawback, some conventional instrument clusters provide indicator devices in which LEDs are mounted on the plate in the vicinity of the pointer drive shaft to emit a light beam towards an inlet portion arranged in the stationary end (or anchor) of the pointer, the pointer including in the vicinity of its free end an outlet portion for delivering the light beam away from the dial and towards the user. The LEDs are then particularly simple to power. However, the zone of the plate in the vicinity of the drive shaft can be relatively densely occupied, making it difficult to find space for the LEDs.
There also exist indicator devices in which the dial is formed by a ring enabling the center of the dial to be placed in a space suitable for receiving a liquid crystal display (LCD), for example. The pointer is then driven along an inner edge of the dial by an arm that pivots behind the display or by a rack-and-pinion assembly. The above-described solution is difficult to apply to such indicator devices.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an indicator that has a pointer provided with pointer lighting means that are simple and easy to position within the device.